Убить пересмешника

           Notthatwe’deverdoneanything,itwastheprincipleofthething.JemconsideredhimselftoooldforHalloweenanyway;hesaidhewouldn’tbecaughtanywherenearthehighschoolatsomethinglikethat.Ohwell,Ithought,Atticuswouldtakeme.

           Isoonlearned,however,thatmyserviceswouldberequiredonstagethatevening.Mrs.GraceMerriweatherhadcomposedanoriginalpageantentitledMaycombCounty:AdAstraPerAspera,andIwastobeaham.Shethoughtitwouldbeadorableifsomeofthechildrenwerecostumedtorepresentthecounty’sagriculturalproducts:CecilJacobswouldbedresseduptolooklikeacow;AgnesBoonewouldmakealovelybutterbean,anotherchildwouldbeapeanut,andondownthelineuntilMrs.Merriweather’simaginationandthesupplyofchildrenwereexhausted.

           Ouronlyduties,asfarasIcouldgatherfromourtworehearsals,weretoenterfromstageleftasMrs.Merriweather(notonlytheauthor,butthenarrator)identifiedus.Whenshecalledout,"Pork,"thatwasmycue.Thentheembledcompanywouldsing,"MaycombCounty,MaycombCounty,wewillayebetruetothee,"asthegrandfinale,andMrs.Merriweatherwouldmountthestagewiththestateflag.

           Mycostumewasnotmuchofaproblem.Mrs.Crenshaw,thelocalseamstress,hadasmuchimaginationasMrs.Merriweather.Mrs.Crenshawtooksomechickenwireandbentitintotheshapeofacuredham.Thisshecoveredwithbrowncloth,andpaintedittoresembletheoriginal.Icouldduckunderandsomeonewouldpullthecontraptiondownovermyhead.